Senator Ken Maddy

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

The $100,000 Senator Ken Maddy H. (G3) is the opening-day feature of the Oak

Tree meeting at Hollywood Park, and UNZIP ME (City Zip) is clearly the one to

beat among nine fillies and mares. An easy winner of the August 2 Royal North S.

(Can-G3) at Woodbine last out, the four-year-old filly likes the turf at

Hollywood Park, winning the Great Lady M. S. over the course three back, and her

only setback this season came against males when finishing a close third in the

Robert K. Kerlan Memorial H.

Unzip Me looks like the controlling speed in this spot under Rafael Bejarano,

and she's the only member of the field to record a triple-digit BRIS Speed

rating this year, earning a 102 last time. We expect to see a top effort in her

last prep for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G2).

WAVELINE (Stravinsky) faltered at short odds in the Daisycutter H. last time,

but the five-year-old is eligible to rebound with an improved performance. The

Daisycutter was her second start back from a 13-month layoff and she returned in

that spot off a short rest following an allowance/optional-claiming score

earlier in the Del Mar meet. Trainer Ben Cecil has wisely freshened her for this

engagement, and the bay California-bred has trained forwardly in preparation,

recording a five-furlong bullet drill in :58 3/5 last Thursday. The

stakes-winning mare will look to make a stretch impact with her strong finishing

kick 

Grade 2 victress ALPHA KITTEN (Tale of the Cat) will make her turf bow from

the rail, and we like the fact that she's finished in the money in all four

starts this year as well as seven-of-eight career starts. She brings encouraging

form into this event, finishing a close second in the Rancho Bernardo H. (G3)

last out, and figures to be forwardly placed from the start with Joel Rosario.

We'll tab her for another placing.

DOTSY JEAN (Lit de Justice) likes the local turf (five wins from seven

attempts) and is going well for Marty Jones. We like the 48-day freshening she's

received in advance of this appearance, and jockey Martin Garcia should be able

to sit a good trip from post 6 with his mount's tactical speed. This will be a

serious class check for the five-year-old mare, but we'll use her on the bottom

of some exotics.

CZECHERS (Indian Charlie) has some back class, but she'll be making her first

start since May and may prefer a little more ground. A confirmed front runner,

the Mark Glatt pupil should sit a good trip with Pat Valenzuela and remains a

candidate to parlay a good trip into a minor award. REBA IS TOPS (He's Tops) has

run well in her previous turf sprints at Hollywood (3-2-1-0) and probably needed

her last start at Del Mar following a seven-month layoff. We have some class

concerns in this spot with the six-year-old mare, but the uncoupled Glatt

trainee rates as a top three contender with her best.

BONIFACIO (Even the Score) is two-for-three on turf and exits a game nose

score in the aforementioned Daisycutter. Conditioned by Craig Dollase, the

four-year-old gray had a blazing pace to close upon last time and doesn't figure

to receive the same set-up in Thursday's graded debut. We'll let her beat us.

MINUTE LIMIT (Ire) (Pivotal) exits a non-threatening third versus state-breds in

the C.E.R.F. S. and doesn't look sharp enough presently to challenge. TERRIFY

(Even the Score) could find this company too difficult.